HIMARS maintenance facility in Bacău
The first HIMARS maintenance facility in Europe was inaugurated in Romania.
Mihai Pelin, 31.05.2024, 14:00
The first maintenance facility for HIMARS systems in Europe was inaugurated in Bacău (northeast), with Minister of Defense Angel Tîlvăr attending the opening ceremony. Romania thus benefits from a strategic advantage by securing the maintenance of its own HIMARS systems, the Romanian official said. In addition, the new facility also has an impact on the economic development of the area, the Minister of Defense also said:
“We have managed to have the best quality, state-of-the-art technological equipment and, last but not least, and I refer to the efforts to endow the Romanian Army, equipment to ensure our operational needs. I hail the fact that 2,000 people were given jobs here in Bacău. We had the opportunity to visit the places where they carry out their activity and, together with other colleagues part of our delegation, we believe these workplaces offer good work conditions. Last but not least, I appreciate the company’s concern for specialized education. Dual education has a place to flourish here, in Bacău, and that’s a very good thing”.
In 2021, Romania became the first European country to use this type of system. HIMARS has proven its operational effectiveness in real conflicts, being tested during military operations, the Ministry of National Defense says. The facility in Bacău was developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin, an American company that Romania also contracted for the maintenance of Romania’s Black Hawk gunships and F-16 aircraft. Angel Tîlvăr hailed the establishment of the center as an exceptional achievement, which puts Romania on the global map of maintenance facilities and logistic support for one of the best performing and most advanced artillery systems at present. Minister Tîlvăr reiterated his Ministry’s determination to connect the national defense industry to all the endowment programs it plans, both in terms of maintenance of cutting-edge equipment designed to equip the armed forces, and, above all, in terms of integrating production lines at national level to the largest possible share. Romania has procured three such systems. The first two were delivered in 2021 and 2023, with the third expected to arrive this year. HIMARS is a long-range multi-missile launcher operated by a three-man team – a driver, a gunner and a commander. Missile systems are mounted on vehicles with light armor protection. They are light enough to be transported by air, thus being ideally suited to changing warfare tactics. With remarkable strike accuracy, the system can launch GPS-guided missiles that can hit targets 80 km away. Moreover, HIMARS is capable of launching missiles weighing 1.7 tons with a maximum range of 310 km. (VP)
